"Bump!" A Spelling Game

What You Need:

• Several sheets of card stock or index cards
• Marker
• Small brown paper bag

What You Do:

1. Cut paper into 30–40 cards.
2. With your fifth-grader, write a word from her weekly spelling list on each card. Be sure to include review words. On 5–7 separate cards, write the word “BUMP.”
3. Place all the cards in the brown paper bag and shake it to shuffle. Players should sit in a circle around a table or on the floor. The first player reaches into the bag (without peeking!) and pulls out a card. The player reads the card, covers it, and spells it out loud. If she spells it correctly, she keeps the card. If she spells it incorrectly, the card goes back in the bag. Pass the bag to the next player who repeats the process.
4. Once a player has one or more cards and then pulls a BUMP card, all of her cards (including the BUMP card) go back in the bag. If she doesn’t have any cards and pulls a BUMP card, she simply puts the BUMP card back in the bag.
5. Set a timer for 3–5 minutes. When time is up, the player with the most cards wins!

Notes: Use variations of this game to practice math facts and vocabulary.